django CMS vs Plone
django CMS
django-cms.org
Plone
plone.orgSide by side
| Figure | django CMS | Plone |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Content Management Systems | 9.4 (#1) | 9.0 (#12) |
| Custom content types | Yes | Yes |
| Custom user roles | Yes | Yes |
| Editing | Editors can change content directly on the page using visual frontend editing. | Plone 6 provides a modern editing interface with blocks for text, images, video, maps, forms, and search. |
| Editorial workflows | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2007 | 2004 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland | Eugene, Oregon, USA |
| Hosting | The feature list says development sandboxes and automated backups are part of a hosting solution rather than built into the CMS. | Plone can be run on premises or in the cloud, and the site says users retain control of their data. |
| Intended users | The site describes django CMS as serving digital agencies, marketers and publishers, developers and product managers, and business executives. | Plone describes itself as suited to editors, developers, and decision makers, with use cases including government and universities. |
| Media library | Yes | Yes |
| Multilingual content | Yes | Yes |
| Platform type | self_hosted | hybrid |
| Security | The feature list says django CMS has passed security audits and includes granular privileges, SSL, and session management. | Plone's security team publishes security fixes and asks users to report security issues responsibly. |
| SEO tools | Yes | Yes |
Plans
django CMS
- django CMSFree
- Supporter Association Membership$2 a month
- Bronze Association Membership$500 a year
- Silver Association Membership$1,500 a year
- Gold Association Membership$3,000 a year
- Platinum Association Membership$15,000 a year
In their own words
django CMS
django CMS is an open-source content management system built on Django for creating and managing websites. Editors can change content directly on the page, while a drag-and-drop builder arranges reusable components such as text, images, videos, forms, and custom business elements. The system supports multiple languages and multi-site publishing, with SEO tools, a media library, custom content types, editorial workflows, and custom user roles. Permissions include granular privileges and separate editor and publisher roles. Developers can integrate existing Django applications through application views and placeholders. Deployment can use traditional Django rendering, hybrid rendering with a REST API, or headless delivery through REST endpoints; headless mode and the REST API are available through the djangocms-rest add-on. The core CMS is free and open, with no license fees. It is self-hosted and supports web, Linux, Windows, and API contexts. Installation requires Python 3.10 or later and uses pip. The maker, based in Zurich, Switzerland, was founded in 2007 and identifies enterprises, universities, and digital agencies as intended users.
Plone
Plone is a free, open-source content management system for websites, intranets, and custom applications. Plone 6 provides a block-based editing interface for text, images, video, maps, forms, and search; its layouts can create flexible multi-column pages that adapt to different devices. Editors can define content types through the web without code and build forms by drag and drop, with submissions sent by email or stored as CSV. A faceted search block filters results by facets. Plone also supports editorial workflows, custom roles, multilingual content, SEO tools, and a media library. A React-based frontend and REST API are supported, and the ecosystem includes more than 100 add-on products. It can run on UNIX-based systems, Windows, and macOS, on premises or in cloud deployments. The site says users retain control of their data. Each major version receives five years of security support; Plone 6 support is listed through 2027-12-31. Service providers offer development, training, customization, and deployment help.